I am fascinated by nature. I am seeing art in everything around me. There are inspiring views wherever I go. In the looking, a snapshot catches a single moment. Creative energy flows through my veins- urging me to bring it to the watercolor paper. These are the inspirations that I take to transform on paper with brush and palette. I am Christy Sheeler. I am a watercolor artist.

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Monday, October 12, 2015

Quick Glimpse of Recent Watercolor Progress

What's happening today?

Well, two paintings are being flattened under a stack of books. They will be fully flattened tomorrow and then comes the dreaded signing. I always stress over my signature. Is it straight? Is it weird? Is it just right? Re-do is not an option. Over thinking again. That's me.

Three more landscapes are mid-process with their skies completed. It's time turn my focus to the land part of the compositions. Who knows what little challenges lie ahead, causing me to rethink my techniques. What techniques will work best to achieve the desired effect?

I was able to get further along on two of the three remaining landscapes. An ivory mat laid on top gives me new perspective on how the whole composition is coming along. It's a tough thing to decide how much color an area needs. The saturation of color affects the contrast but too much is not always a good thing.

This is a view of the whole setup in front of me while working today. Changing out the water often is very important. I have another tub of rinse water to my right, out of view. The roll of toilet paper is wrapped with paper towel; this is where I blot extra water out of clean brushes. Too much water left in the brush will travel up the bristles into the metal ferule. The end result is that extra moisture is absorbed up into the wood handle and the result is cracked paint on the handle.

At times, it feels like a good idea to take a break and set the painting aside. I'll set it on an easel across the room. As I pass by, I glance at it to see what stands out as an area needing changes. In the evening, I'll call on my husband for a critique session. Over the years, we've done this so often, we complete each other's sentences. He begins and I can guess where he's going with his thoughts. Another person's point of view is an incredible tool in deciding what still needs work. The painting below is from the "Cut Across" road; we were coming back from the Fourth of July parade in Choteau. My husband loves this one most right now because of the wheel tracks leading along the edge of the field.

It's all I can do to keep myself from grabbing the camera right now! I would love to show all the changes that have taken place in the past two days. Why not? I 'd never complete the painting. I'm going to be disciplined and get back to work with a brush in hand. I'd like to plan another update later in the day...although it may be a very short addition below.

Another blog entry to come again on Thursday...check back and I'll show off a previously completed landscape painting. The watercolor palette is calling my name so I'm heading back to create for today.

I have two new landscape paintings to be added to the Etsy shop in the next week. If you have not been to the shop, click to go to ChristySheelerArtist. I've been taking more photos of each painting to give more variety of views for each listing. Those will be updated in the coming weeks.

-Christy,

because she must make art!

Quick Question:

If you were to use paint to capture a scene in your mind, what would it be? What type of paint would you use...or what other medium would you choose?